INSPIRE The Ottens Observer Street Food, the hot new restaurant

Did you know that street food is consumed by 2.5 billion people worldwide each day? Street food appeals to many people due to its 'authentic' vibe. In many countries street food is considerably better than the restaurant food, possibly due to the fast turnaround time and low cost. Food trucks and street vendors selling delicious edibles is a fast-growing movement in the United States. Being a nation of diverse cultures, it should come as no surprise that some of the ulti- mate street foods come from abroad. Arepas are becoming quite popular throughout the United States, with several food trucks popping up around the country specializing in this Venezuelan deli- popular American choice when grabbing something cacy. A flatbread made with ground corn, split open fast from street vendors. There are different varieties, and stuffed with a variety of delicious ingredients from such as American, which uses baking powder; Belgian, meats to cheeses to vegetables. which relies on yeast; and Liège, which is sweetened The renowned Belgian street food, waffles, are also a with pearl sugar. With so many toppings from sweet edibles to savory options, the combinations are end- less. Crepes, the popular French street food, have become a hit in the US, with many restaurants and food trucks now specializing in this tasty treat. They can be very simple, with butter and sugar, or filled with a host of sweet and savory ingredients from Nutella and bana- nas to chicken, spinach and cheese. Some of the top rated crepes trucks can be found in southern Califor- nia. A survey conducted by Santa Maria, a world leading spice and ingredient provider, found that 50% of con- sumers are buying street food at least once a week, mostly for lunch. Consumers like the flavors and ingre- dients in street food. Eighty percent of respondents liked the adventurous flavors and spices and 68% said that street food has introduced them to new flavors. The top five most popular street food cuisines are Mex- ican, Chinese, Thai, Indian and British. Some of the most popular items featured include burrito, dosa, hot dogs, pretzels, burgers, pulled pork, falafel, gyros, , cupcakes and of course, tacos!

(The Food People, 2012) ( The Culture Trip, 2016) (Quick bite Magazine, 2015) Innovation in

I scream, you scream, we all scream for ICE CREAM! And with innovative flavors and crazy toppings on the market, it’s no surprise that everyone wants a spoon to dig in! We have seen a ton of innovation in non-dairy desserts utilizing coconut, soy and almond ice cream, featuring super indulgent flavors like fudge brownie, salted caramel, and snickerdoodle. New York City, the trend capital of the world, offers an array of new ice cream innovations! Such as Thai Rolled Ice Cream. The process takes about two minutes, a cup of flavored milk-based liquid is poured on to an extremely cold metal circle that looks like a big pizza pan. As the base freezes, it's manipulated with little paddles and then spread out across the big circle. Once the ice cream evenly covers the circle, the staff pushes a spatula across it and turns strips of it into rolls. The rolls are packed into a cup, then topped with sweets such as toasted marshmallow, gummy bears, coconut and of course, hot fudge. Morgenstern's Finest Ice Cream in NYC, is known for their unique list of flavors offered throughout the year – ]sweet potato mello caramel, lemon espresso, balsamic strawberry, raw milk, green tea pistachio, sunflower seed, durian and of course Black Ice (ash from burnt co- conut shell). We are also seeing savory flavors featured in ice cream applications. The Milk Cult in Washington DC, features the Bangkok Brothel, made with coconut milk, Thai basil, cilantro, lemon zest and chili pepper- it’s refreshing and vegan. San Francisco’s well known Humphry Slocombe, recently brought back their jalapeno cornbread ice cream and . We are also seeing smaller craft retail brands featuring savory flavors like sriracha, ginger lemon and avocado. We look forward to taste new ice cream creations in 2017 like , boozy pints, ice cream sandwiches and frozen dessert pizzas!

(Technomic, 2016) (Mintel GNPD, 2016) (Smart Brief, 2016) (Food Business News, 2016) Riced, diced and spiralized - the new trend in Veggies!

As we welcome 2017, we see new healthy eating trends hit the market as everyone attempts to stick to their new year’s resolutions. This year, we are finding that riced and spiralized veggies are officially main- stream and no longer just for clean eating enthusi- asts. More grown-ups are swapping carbs for veg- gies, like replacing pasta with spiralized zucchini.

These nutrient-rich pasta-imposters are a tremendous way to eat more vegetables – and, of course, they can help you cut down on calories and refined grains. Some of the best vegetables to turn into noodles are butternut squash, carrots, turnips, beets and zucchini – known as zoodles. Top with marinara or pesto sauce, make an Asian-inspired noodle bowl or use as a base for a salad or casserole.

Beyond home recipes and retail products, a new meal delivery service is tapping into this trend. Hungryroot, offers an array of healthy and vegan meals featuring zoodles, riced cauliflower and beans delivered to your door. Dishes like carrot noodles with tangy sriracha peanut sauce or cauliflower rice with Moroccan al- mond curry - Sounds delicious!

(Hungry Root, 2016) (Seattle Times, 2016) (US News Health, 2016)

Flavor of the Month Coffee Flavor We all love ...and coffee flavored products! IFF- Ottens’ Coffee flavors features rich roasted notes and just a hint of bitterness. Creating the perfect profile for any creation—whether to enhance an iced coffee bever- age, a syrup to drizzle on ice cream, or bake into a mo- cha brownie. Consumers are embracing the bolder and bitter profile of roasted coffee, favoring dark roast, cold brews and rich espresso beverages. Keep an eye out for coffee as it continues to move into other food and beverage catego- ries such as yogurt, candy, bars, cocktails and baked goods.